<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2600.0" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=2>Depends on the situation.  If I = am installing new hammers and no opinion is expressed, I will bring them to the = level I think is best.  I might ask if they have a preference for = brighter, less bright, mellow, etc..  But the fundamental development of the = hammer won't change.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>If I walk in on a piano and percieve it as = needing voicing I will always talk to them about it first (unless it's just = a bit of through the string touch up).   Sometimes their first = response will be that they like it as it is and I might leave it alone.   = Other times they have said they like it as it is only because they are unware = of how much better it can be.  </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>The bottom line is that they decide.  They have = to play it.  But you can open their ears to tonal possibilities. =  There have been times when I have come to a piano and spent some time voicing it = and they have commented afterward that they never knew it could sound like that = and why didn't the last guy tell them about voicing.   I've also come = to pianos that I thought were horrendously bright but after talking to the = player it turned out they really did like it that way, so, of course, I left it.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Just communicate and it really shouldn't be a problem.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>David Love</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV>----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=diskladame@provide.net = href="mailto:diskladame@provide.net">Z! Reinhardt</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> August 10, 2002 9:46 = AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> To Voice or Not to = Voice? [was Re: Baldwin hammers]</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Ooooh, this could be a juicy topic!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hi Everyone!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Who is to decide what the "optimal" = tone is for a given piano?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>It's a common occurrence -- the = customer doesn't want the voicing touched or tampered with in any way and we're driven = crazy by the possibilities in the name of optimal tone.  So ... how does = one go about enlightening the customer on this matter without intimidating them, leaving them with the impression that there is something fundamentally wrong with their piano or that the work we did (such as replacing the hammers) was somehow substandard?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Z! Reinhardt  RPT<BR>Ann = Arbor  MI<BR><A = href="mailto:diskladame@provide.net">diskladame@provide.net</A></FONT><= /DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=Erwinspiano@AOL.COM href="mailto:Erwinspiano@AOL.COM">Erwinspiano@AOL.COM</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, August 10, = 2002 10:36 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Baldwin = hammers</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face=Arial color=#000000 = size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff = 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" = TYPE="CITE">         &nbsp= ;  Hi  Ray </BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face="Times New Roman" = color=#000000 size=3 = FAMILY="SERIF">         &n= bsp; I say this with all due respect. While I'm aware this happens and I = guess the customers is always right since as it is there piano, but that = doesnt' mean the piano was producing  its optimal tone. It may mean = that the raw hammer was producing a better sound than what wa  heard = before and had they trusted your judgement a bit firther they would have had = something perhaps even more thrilling. I wonder if the treble is by now = producing the sounds of shattering glass or perhaps if you got a softer set of = renners as I did years ago. These are quality hammers but the ones I've seen in = recent years always needed  voicing especially in the money notes(5 = and 6 octaves)<BR>    Do you know if the client is still ecstatic?<BR>          Best-----Dale</FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: = #ffffff" face=Arial color=#000000 size=3 = FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face=Arial color=#000000 = size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff = 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" TYPE="CITE"><BR>I replaced the hammers on a similar Baldwin a = couple of years ago with Renner.  The client was ecstatic with the = results, and wanted no further voicing at all!</FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face=Arial color=#000000 = size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face=Arial color=#000000 = size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR>Ray T. Bentley, RPT<BR>Registered Piano Tuner-Technician<BR>Alton, IL<BR><A href="mailto:ray@bentley.net">ray@bentley.net</A><BR><A = href="http://www.ray.bentley.net">www.ray.bentley.net</FONT><FONT = lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face=Arial color=#000000 = size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"></A><BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face="Times New Roman" = color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SERIF"></BLOCKQUOTE><I><BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></I></= FONT></FONT></BODY></HTML>